The perception of clicks in linguistic and nonlinguistic messages

Three experiments were run analyzing Ss’ abilities to locate clicks in auditory messages. In Expenment 1 it was found that the intonation pattern of the linguistic message largely determined the types of errors Ss made in click placement; syntactic factors were only marginally effective and semantic factors were effectively irrelevant. In addition to these linguistic factors, there was evidence that such nonlinguistic factors as attention, memory, and response biases were contributing to the data. Experiment 2 supplied additional evidence favoring these nonlinguistic factors. Experiment 3 was a mock-up of Experiment 2 except that broad-band white noise was used as the primary message instead of English sentences. The patterns of placement errors Ss made in these several experiments (especially Experiments 2 and 3) were sufficiently similar to one another to force the conclusion that nonlinguistic factors are primarily responsible for the errors Ss make in trying to locate clicks in messages. A neo-Titchenerian attention hypothesis based upon the law of prior entry was proposed to account for the data.     

Evaluation of a break-to-choice chained-schedule intervention for multiply maintained problem behavior

Interventions for multiply maintained problem behavior often involve developing separate treatment conditions to address each function. Although isolating treatment conditions lead to positive outcomes, developing individual treatments for each identified function may be time-consuming. Alternatively, synthesizing treatment procedures may allow for more efficient treatment effects. We extended previous research by evaluating functional communication training (FCT) and chained schedules of reinforcement to treat multiply maintained problem behavior in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. First, we conducted a functional analysis that concluded problem behavior was multiply maintained. Next, we taught functional communication responses (FCRs) and implemented a chained schedule of reinforcement. During the initial link, FCRs for a break resulted in the presentation of a choice menu with the other putative reinforcers in the terminal link. The relevant reinforcer was delivered contingent on the emission of subsequent FCRs. Finally, we systematically schedule thinned to caregiver-informed terminal schedules for each participant. The results of our study demonstrated that FCT, in combination with a sequential compound schedule of reinforcement, effectively decreased multiply maintained problem behavior and increased appropriate alternative responses (FCRs and compliance) even at terminal schedules of reinforcement.     

Changes in religious attitudes and behaviors of Euro-Turk students with theology education

This paper studied a new dimension of international students, who are citizens of another country but came back to Turkey for religious education where their parents or grandparents are citizens. Did a five-year religious education process based on the main sources of Islam lead to a change in these students' religious attitudes and behaviors, and if yes to what extent did these changes occur? A panel survey is conducted on these students in pre-education and post-education periods to answer this question. Without ignoring the effect of the social environment outside of education on religious attitudes, we found that students exhibit a more tolerant, nonstrict attitude toward both their coreligionists and those who have negative attitudes toward their religion. Additionally, in parallel with the deepening of religious knowledge, a questioning and critical perspective was formed with a decrease in superstitions. We found that the attitude change in female students was generally higher than that of male students.     

Reward history modulates visual attention in an avian model

Animal Cognition - Attention can be biased towards previously reward-associated stimuli even when they are task-irrelevant and physically non-salient, although studies of reward-modulated attention...